Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to follow up with more questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services.
So we've heard from the Minister that paramedics have a unique scope of practice. Can the Minister explain what is the rationale for contracting private paramedics to fill shifts in the Stanton emergency department? Is it because of their unique skill set or an inability to fill shifts with emergency department nurses? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, their role is limited to providing care within that area and are only used in situations where nursing staffing levels are critically low. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So if the department or the authority is finding that staffing levels are chronically low, why wouldn't the department or the authority plan to hire paramedics on staff rather than contracting them on a shift-by-shift basis? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned that -- you know, within the emergency department when they've tried in areas of time where they're critically low, that means that they haven't been able to confirm casuals, people are on vacation, there's no -- last case, you know, resort would be agency, and sometimes when we do have paramedics that -- you know, that was when they would bring them in to just assist with this area. However, this is not a model that's been in our system before, so we don't have an overarching model of paramedics in our system. And so where we're starting is that we're looking, and that's the work with -- you know, with the proposed position that's going to -- that's in the budget, upcoming budget, that that work will happen to be able to analyze and do that work to see how and when and what policies and how they'll work within our system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So if a patient has a complaint against a health care provider, they can go to the Office of Client Experience, but how would an NWT patient go about filing a complaint if there was a complaint against a paramedic operating within our system? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when the NTHSSA does contract them, they do revert to an employer. So their employer, you can complain to their employer. You can bring that forward to the NTHSSA. As well as the appropriate jurisdiction where their license is active, you can reach out directly to that jurisdiction where the individual can -- you know, they can take a look and investigate that concern. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
